Real estate mortgage investment conduit (REMIC)

Real estate mortgage investment conduit (REMIC) Definition

A entity through which an issuer can sell multiple class securities with call protection to investors. A REMIC may be a corporation, trust, association, or partnership, but in order to qualify, it must confine its investments to mortgages, cash, government securities, foreclosure property acquired in connection with imminent default of a mortgage, or other REMICs. Typically, a REMIC invests in a pool of mortgages, and sells interests in those mortgages through securities with one or more senior classes and a subordinated class that assumes the credit risk of defaults and delinquencies. This creates a form of self-insurance that increases the investment ratings for the senior securities. A REMIC does not keep its mortgage assets on its books, but sells them to investors through its securities.